I’ve seen the show in many small, intimate theaters over the years. It works well in this setting because it has the feel of a small gathering where someone is telling her story. Some of the actresses used a talk/sing style that furthered that feeling. I don’t know if I would enjoy it as much seeing it again in a larger theater. I suppose I would . . . the experience would just be very different . . . and I certainly have very fond memories of the times I saw it on Broadway with Bernadette Peters and then Betty Buckley, and the road with Melissa Manchester. (Betty Buckley and Melissa Manchester sang the score beautifully, and that alone was worth the price of admission, but neither came close to BB’s adorable mix of innocence and spunk.)
I think there are dated references throughout (for example, the Joan Collins line in English Girls), but that’s only an issue if there’s a pretence that the action takes place today. None of these are relevant to the plot so they can be easily changed. I don’t remember noticing anything the last time I saw it, so the licensed versions probably have all the updates. Anyone know who replaced Joan Collins in the English Girls lyric?
By the way, I will always prefer Song and Dance to Tell Me on a Sunday because I can’t imagine the piece without Unexpected Song and I’m a sucker for a happy ending! Have they added Unexpected Song back to the licensed version of Tell Me On a Sunday when only the one-act is performed?